This book focuses on sediments as a pollutant in natural freshwater and marine habitats, and as a vector for the transfer of chemicals such as nutrients and contaminants. Sediment-water research is carried out all over the world within a variety of disciplines. The selected papers cover three main topics: - assessment and/or restoration of disturbed watersheds;- sediment-water linkages in terrestrial and aquatic environments;- evaluation of sediment and ecological changes in marine and freshwater habitats.Innovative research in both developed and less developed countries is included and both fundamental research and insight into applied research and system management are covered

These proceedings include most of the available information on this major seismic event and its consequences. With an estimated moment magnitude of 7.7 and a heavy toll in terms of human and economic losses, it ranks as the largest intermediate-depth earthquake in Europe in the twentieth century. Nevertheless, because of the difficult conditions in the 1940s, the lessons learnt after the Vrancea earthquake were not extensively shared with the international scientific community and thus, this book fills a gap in the literature discussing the knowledge acquired after major disasters. Past experience together with current understanding of the 1940 Vrancea earthquake are presented along with the latest information on Romanian seismicity, seismic hazard and risk assessment, and seismic evaluation and rehabilitation of buildings and structures. Moreover, it includes excerpts from Romanian post-disaster reports and textbooks concerning the earthquake.

This book provides two state-of-the-art quantitative techniques to determine ultra-trace rare earth elements (REEs) in natural carbonates using solution nebulization-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SN-ICPMS) and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) with respective applications were presented in this dissertation. These techniques were applied to natural carbonates, including corals and stalagmites, to understand volcano eruptions and the impacts on modern biosystem and paleoclimate regimes. In the first SN-ICPMS protocol, direct measurements for femtogram quantity carbonate samples without chemical separation steps can offer accurate and high-precision analysis (+/-1.9-6.5%, 2 ) with a high sample throughput of 8-10 samples/hr routinely. Application to modern Porites corals collected from South China Sea region, the anomalies of REE contents and Al/Ca ratios associated with micro-domain images, register modern coral reefs could be exacerbated by volcanic eruptions. In the second protocol, a high-sensitivity quantitative open-cell LA-ICPMS technique has been established to allow direct sampling on stalagmite surface in the atmospheric air. This technique improved limits of detection down to sub-ng/g range and promises analyses of carbonate REE profiles at the single digit parts-per-billion (ppb) levels. Application to a 15-cm stalagmite collected from East Timor reveals two peaks of REE contents by at least one order of magnitude, possibly due to volcanic ash preserved in stalagmite. Both improved SN-ICPMS and LA-ICPMS techniques highlight the high-sensitivity and high-temporal-resolution carbonate REE analyses for corals and stalagmites, with great potential to other natural carbonates such as travertine, tufa, and flowstone, benefit our understanding of paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental dynamics.

Impact of Tectonic Activity on Ancient Civilizations: Recurrent Shakeups, Tenacity, Resilience, and Change observes a remarkable spatial correspondence of zones of active tectonism (i.e. plate boundaries in the earth's crust) with the most complex cultures of antiquity ("great ancient civilizations"), and continues to explore the meaning of this relationship from a number of independent angles. Due to resulting site damage, this distribution is counter-intuitive. Nevertheless, systematic differences between "tectonic" and "quiescent" cultures show that tectonic activity corresponded in antiquity with more cultural dynamism. Data of several independent types support direct cultural influence of tectonism, including vignettes of the impact of tectonism in specific ancient cultures. An expectation of change seems to be a feature such tectonic cultures shared, and led to an acceleration of development. These dynamics continue though much obscured in the present day.

The term Little Ice Age' was originally used by glaciologists to describe the most recent major glacial advance of the Holocene. Subsequently, the Little Ice Age' has come to be associated with a period of advances of European glaciers between about 1450 to 1850, as well as with relatively cooler temperatures. The issue of whether or not this concept remains accurate is a major theme of many of the papers included in this volume. The main geographical focus is on the North Atlantic and European sectors, and includes research from a number of different palaeoclimatic fields. Examples are the use of documentary sources, early instrumental records, grain-harvest data, fossil-insect data, ice-core records, glacial evidence, lichenometry, synoptic climatology, and also the human dimensions of climate change. The papers presented reflect state-of-the-art knowledge, as well as thought-provoking new insights into these subject areas. The book will be of value to all those interested in the above topics and in the overall themes of climate variability and global change.

This book covers the entire spectrum of mineralogy and consolidates its applications in various fields. Its starts (Part I) with the very basic concept of mineralogy describing in detail the implications of the various aspects of mineral chemistry, crystallographic structures and their effects producing different mineral properties. Part II of the book describes different aspects of mineralogy used to extend the studies of geothermobarometry, mineral thermodynamics and phase diagrams, mineral exploration and analysis, including some aspects of marine minerals etc. The book finally handles the applications in industrial, medicinal and environmental mineralogy along with precious semiprecious stone studies. The various analytical techniques, their significance in handling specific types of mineralogical problems are also well covered.

Land use decisions in karst terrains can have immediate and serious impacts on the local landscape and groundwater resources. The existing literature on karst and land use can be very difficult to locate in the journals of any of a half-dozen different disciplines. This book brings the interdisciplinary knowledge together in one place, in a format that academics and professionals alike will find accessible, informative and useful.

Based on an examination of existing regulations, the experiences and opinions of planners and land use professionals, and quantitative analysis of publicly-available data, the book explores how human settlement patterns and urban systems in karst terrains are affected by land use regulations intended to protect karst resources. The book pays particular attention to the questions of whether these regulations will have a noticeable impact on density and on opportunities for economic growth and development in communities that choose to implement them. This analysis serves as the basis for a regulatory framework that may be used to understand the workings of land use regulations in karst terrains, and to aid in the development of such regulations in the future.

Stochastic Methods for Flow in Porous Media: Coping with Uncertainties explores fluid flow in complex geologic environments. The parameterization of uncertainty into flow models is important for managing water resources, preserving subsurface water quality, storing energy and wastes, and improving the safety and economics of extracting subsurface mineral and energy resources.
This volume systematically introduces a number of stochastic methods used by researchers in the community in a tutorial way and presents methodologies for spatially and temporally stationary as well as nonstationary flows. The author compiles a number of well-known results and useful formulae and includes exercises at the end of each chapter.

* As never seen before:
* Balanced viewpoint of several stochastic methods, including Greens' function, perturbative expansion, spectral, Feynman diagram, adjoint state, Monte Carlo simulation, and renormalization group methods
* Tutorial style of presentation will facilitate use by readers without a prior in-depth knowledge of Stochastic processes
* Practical examples throughout the text
* Exercises at the end of each chapter reinforce specific concepts and techniques
* For the reader who is interested in hands-on experience, a number of computer codes are included and discussed

Most of the Earth's biosphere is characterized by low temperatures. Vast areas (>20%) of the soil ecosystem are permanently frozen or are unfrozen for only a few weeks in summer. Permafrost regions occur at high latitudes and also at high ele- tions; a significant part of the global permafrost area is represented by mountains. Permafrost soils are of global interest, since a significant increase in temperature is predicted for polar regions. Global warming will have a great impact on these soils, especially in northern regions, since they contain large amounts of organic carbon and act as carbon sinks, and a temperature increase will result in a release of carbon into the atmosphere. Additionally, the intensified release of the clima- relevant tracer gas methane represents a potential environmental harzard. Significant numbers of viable microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, p- totrophic cyanobacteria and green algae, fungi and protozoa, are present in per- frost, and the characteristics of these microorganisms reflect the unique and extreme conditions of the permafrost environment. Remarkably, these microorg- isms have been reported to be metabolically active at subzero temperatures, even down to ?20 DegreesC.

Deepwater Sedimentary Systems: Science, Discovery and Applications helps readers identify, understand and interpret deepwater sedimentary systems at various scales - both onshore and offshore. This book describes the best practices in the integration of geology, geophysics, engineering, technology and economics used to inform smart business decisions in these diverse environments. It draws on technical results gained from deepwater exploration and production drilling campaigns and global field analog studies. With the multi-decadal resilience of deepwater exploration and production and the nature of its inherent uncertainty, this book serves as the essential reference for companies, consultancies, universities, governments and deepwater practitioners around the world seeking to understand deepwater systems and how to explore for and produce resources in these frontier environments. From an academic perspective, readers will use this book as the primer for understanding the processes, deposits and sedimentary environments in deep water - from deep oceans to deep lakes. This book provides conceptual approaches and state-of-the-art information on deepwater systems, as well as scenarios for the next 100 years of human-led exploration and development in deepwater, offshore environments. The students taught this material in today's classrooms will become the leaders of tomorrow in Earth's deepwater frontier. This book provides a broad foundation in deepwater sedimentary systems. What may take an individual dozens of academic and professional courses to achieve an understanding in these systems is provided here in one book.

A collection of international contributions presenting current knowledge of impact tectonics, geological and geophysical investigations of terrestrial impact structures, and suggested new impact structures, resulting from the IMPACT program.

Coalbed gas has been considered a hazard since the early 19th century when the first mine gas explosions occurred in the United States in 1810 and France in 1845. In eastern Australia methane-related mine disasters occurred late in the 19th century with hundreds of lives lost in New South Wales, and as recently as 1995 in Queensland's Bowen Basin. Ventilation and gas drainage technologies are now in practice. However, coalbed methane recently is becoming more recognized as a potential source of energy; rather than emitting this gas to the atmosphere during drainage of gassy mines it can be captured and utilized. Both economic and environmental concerns have sparked this impetus to capture coalbed methane. The number of methane utilization projects has increased in the United States in recent years as a result, to a large extent, of development in technology in methane recovery from coal seams. Between 1994 and 1997, the number of mines in Alabama, Colorado, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia recovering and utilizing methane increased from 1 0 to 17. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that close to 49 billion cubic feet (Bet) of methane was recovered in 1996, meaning that this amount was not released into the atmosphere. It is estimated that in the same year total emissions of methane equaled 45. 7 Bcf. Other coal mines are being investigated at present, many ofwhich appear to be promising for the development of cost-effective gas recovery.

Carbon Sequestration in Forest Ecosystems is a comprehensive book describing the basic processes of carbon dynamics in forest ecosystems, their contribution to carbon sequestration and implications for mitigating abrupt climate change. This book provides the information on processes, factors and causes influencing carbon sequestration in forest ecosystems. Drawing upon most up-to-date references, this book summarizes the current understanding of carbon sequestration processes in forest ecosystems while identifying knowledge gaps for future research, Thus, this book is a valuable knowledge source for students, scientists, forest managers and policy makers.

Everything we see in our landscapes today was created by geological actions, all of them accompanied by earthquakes and volcanism. This thorough examination of the geology of the United States and its impact on people's lives explores the processes that shape the land surfaces of the United States. These processes act over long periods of time and are affected by such factors as wind, rain, and temperature. Readers will discover how they frequently catch us by surprise when unexpected events occur, as well as how we often ignore signals that indicate repeat disasters. The hazards associated with geological processes are a continuing concern, but readers will also discover the benefits of many of these so-called natural disasters.

Geologic regions define the framework for the book. Gunn provides readers with an accessible overview of geology, defining such concepts as erosion and deposition and discussing such factors as the different kinds of rocks found in the earth's crust. He also explores the concept of plate tectonics in detail. Representative states have been selected to illustrate hazards and geologic features found over large areas, and students can discover those areas that are the most dangerous in which to live. Students are encouraged to draw on the resources provided for further in-depth study of the fascinating topics introduced and discussed.

Over the past decade the scientific activities of the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS), which focuses on the role of the oceans in controlling climate change via the transport and storage of greenhouse gases and organic matter, have led to an increased interest in the study of the biogeochemistry of organic matter. There is also a growing interest in global climate fluctuations. This, and the need for a precise assessment of the dynamics of carbon and other bio-elements, has led to a demand for an improved understanding of biogeochemical processes and the chemical characteristics of both particulate and dissolved organic matter in the ocean. A large amount of proxy data has been published describing the changes of the oceanic environment, but qualitative and quantitative estimates of the vertical flux of (proxy) organic compounds have not been well documented. There is thus an urgent need to pursue this line of study and, to this end, this book starts with several papers dealing with the primary production of organic matter in the upper ocean. Thereafter, the book goes on to follow the flux and characterization of particulate organic matter, discussed in relation to the primary production in the euphotic zone and resuspension in the deep waters, including the vertical flux of proxy organic compounds. It goes on to explain the decomposition and transformation of organic matter in the ocean environment due to photochemical and biological agents, and the reactivity of bulk and specific organic compounds, including the air-sea interaction of biogenic gases. The 22 papers in the book reflect the interests of JGOFS and will thus serve as a valuable reference source for future biogeochemical investigations of both bio-elements and organic matter in seawater, clarifying the role of the ocean in global climate change.

Carbonate sediments are of increasing relevance for archives of past environmental conditions and for economical reasons in areas of geothermal energy and hydrocarbon reservoirs. Complex interaction of physical and chemical parameters with biological parameters determines the architecture and composition of carbonate sedimentary bodies. This book closes some of the still existing gaps in our understanding of the influence and interplay of physical, chemical, and biological parameters with carbonate sedimentation. An understanding of this interaction is not only required for reliable prediction of reservoir quality but also for a robust interpretation of environmental conditions in the past and the present. It is written by geologists for geologists in order to provide an easily accessible overview of the large amount of relevant information provided by the neighbouring sciences. The approach of the book is to document the modern depositional environments of three classical areas of carbonate deposition, each characteristic for a specific sedimentological setting (isolated platform, attached shelf, ramp) in order to assess both the range of physical, biological and chemical parameters and their sedimentary response. This book presents a comprehensive compilation based on data from published work and unpublished theses, and the integration of these data in order to extract previously undiscovered relationships between the discussed parameters and carbonate deposition.

Soil organic carbon (SOC), a key component of the global carbon (C) pool, plays an important role in C cycling, regulating climate, water supplies and biodiversity, and therefore in providing the ecosystem services that are essential to human well-being. Most agricultural soils in temperate regions have now lost as much as 60% of their SOC, and as much as 75% in tropical regions, due to conversion from natural ecosystems to agricultural uses and mainly due to continuous soil degradation. Sequestering C can help to offset C emissions from fossil fuel combustion and other C-emitting activities, while also enhancing soil quality and long-term agronomic productivity. However, developing effective policies for creating terrestrial C sinks is a serious challenge in tropical and subtropical soils, due to the high average annual temperatures in these regions. It can be accomplished by implementing improved land management practices that add substantial amounts of biomass to soil, cause minimal soil disturbance, conserve soil and water, improve soil structure, and enhance soil fauna activity. Continuous no-till crop production is arguably the best example. These soils need technically sound and economically feasible strategies to sustainably enhance their SOC pools. Hence, this book provides comprehensive information on SOC and its management in different land-use systems, with a focus on preserving soils and their ecosystem services. The only book of its kind, it offers a valuable asset for students, researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders involved in the sustainable development and management of natural resources at the global level.

This book explores the latest advances in our understanding of the evolution of the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta, examining the Damodar basin, Bhagirathi-Hooghly basin and Jalangi basin from historical, quantitative and applied geomorphology perspectives. The evolution of the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta is highly complex and remains poorly understood. To address that gap, this edited volume presents 11 research papers: the first seven chapters focus on the pure geomorphology and geohydrology of the delta, while the remaining four examine its applied geomorphological aspects. The book offers a valuable guide for geologists, geographers, hydrologists, landscape ecologists, environmentalists, engineers, planners and policy makers.

This book documents the history of irrigated agriculture and drainage in the San Joaquin Valley, and describes the hydrology and biogeochemical processes of salts and selenium, remediation technologies for salts and trace elements and policy and management options. The contents are comprised of fourteen chapter-length independent treatises, each depicting with fresh perspective a distinctive salinity drainage topic. The opening chapters detail the evolution of irrigated agriculture, and depict the geochemical and hydrological processes that define the San Joaquin Valley, including the physics, chemistry, and biology attributes that impact water management policies and strategies. Next, the contributors address the biogeochemistry of selenium, the role of plants in absorbing it from soils, and the processes involved in retaining and concentrating dissolved salts in drainage water. Further chapters describe on-farm and plot-level irrigation provisions to reduce agricultural drainage outputs and examine their effects on plant performance. This volume offers realistic policy analysis of water management options for irrigated agriculture in the Valley and assesses their respective outcomes, if implemented. Also included is an international perspective on the sustainability of irrigated agriculture there.

This book presents advanced ecological techniques for crop cultivation and the chapters are arranged into four sections, namely general aspects, weeds, fungi, worms and microbes. Biocontrol is an ecological method of controlling pests such as insects, mites, weeds and plant diseases using other organisms. This practice has been used for centuries. Biocontrol relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms. Natural enemies of insect pests, also known as biological control agents, include predators, parasitoids, pathogens, and competitors.

This volume presentsa selection of survey and research articles based on invited lectures and contributed talks presented at the Workshop on Fluid Dynamics in Porous Media that was held in Coimbra, Portugal, inSeptember 12-14, 2011. The contributions are devoted to mathematical modeling, numerical simulation and their applications, providing the readers a state-of-the-art overview on the latest findings and new challenges on the topic. The book includes research work of worldwide recognized leaders in their respective fields and presents advances in both theory and applications, making it appealing to a vast range of audience, in particular mathematicians, engineers and physicists."

Digital Soil Mapping is the creation and the population of a geographically referenced soil database. It is generated at a given resolution by using field and laboratory observation methods coupled with environmental data through quantitative relationships. Digital soil mapping is advancing on different fronts at different rates all across the world. This book presents the state-of-the art and explores strategies for bridging research, production, and environmental application of digital soil mapping.It includes examples from North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The chapters address the following topics: - evaluating and using legacy soil data - exploring new environmental covariates and sampling schemes - using integrated sensors to infer soil properties or status - innovative inference systems predicting soil classes, properties, and estimating their uncertainties - using digital soil mapping and techniques for soil assessment and environmental application - protocol and capacity building for making digital soil mapping operational around the globe. "

This book is a practical guide to downhole rock sampling and coring concepts, methods, systems, and procedures for practitioners and researchers. Its chapters are based upon years of extensive studies and research about the coring methods and via direct and continuous communication and consultation obtained from various service and operator companies such as Baker Hughes GE, NOV, OMV, and Sandvik. The contributors discuss the state-of-the-art coring methods and systems (mainly used in the petroleum industry), which include: * conventional coring; * wireline continuous coring; * invasion mitigation coring (low invasion, gel coring, sponge coring); * jam-detection, anti-jamming, full closure; * safe-coring and tripping; * oriented-coring; * pressure/in-situ coring; * logging-while-coring; * motor coring; * mini-coring; * coiled Tubing Coring; and * underbalanced coring. The contributors provide practical and applicable understanding of the procedures of these coring methods and systems, as well as the specific core barrel components, working mechanisms, and schematics of the tools and processes used. Because Coring Methods and Systems analyses and compares the core barrels used in both petroleum and mining industries, it enhances the communication and may allow knowledge transfer between the two industries. As core damage is a serious issue during coring and handling jeopardizing correct calibration of exploration data, Coring Methods and Systems has greatly focused on its identification and its mitigation. Therefore, it can be used as an ideal source for geologists, core analysts, and reservoir engineers, to ensure the retrieval of high-quality cores.

Nominated by Tsinghua University as an outstanding Ph.D. thesis, this book investigates the mechanical properties of unsaturated compacted clayey soil, the multi-field coupling consolidation theory of unsaturated soil and its application to a 261.5 m high earth-rockfill dam. It proposes a multi-field coupling analysis method of consolidation, and develops an efficient and practical finite element (FE) program for large-scale complex earth-rockfill dams. The book is primarily intended for researchers studying the multi-field coupling analysis of seepage consolidation.